Bold Street is booming - and independent shops and restaurants are at the heart of its rebirth.

Shoppers are returning in their droves to the city centre street this Christmas, the ECHO can reveal.

The city centre street appears to have found its feet again after a sharp decline in trade last year.

The number of shoppers visiting Bold Street, once dubbed the Bond Street of the North, rose 50% over the past 12 months, according to the latest weekly figures from Liverpool City Central Business Improvement District (BID). The BID is responsible for marketing the city’s traditional retail streets, which, as well as Bold Street, include Church Street, Lord Street and Whitechapel, among others.

BID bosses and shop owners say the boom in trade is down to an influx of independent retailers and restaurants over the past 18-months.

BID chief executive Bill Addy told the ECHO: “The vacancy rates are significantly lower than in the past and also compared to the national average for high streets.

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Referring to shop owners who have recently opened on Bold Street, Mr Addy said: “They are a new breed of entrepreneurs. They often open their first shop on Bold Street and then expand into other parts of the city.

“When I was young, my mum never brought me to Bold Street – it was too expensive, too posh. We always went to London Road.

“As well as the ground floor shops, people are converting the upper floors to residential flats.”

Mandy Vere, joint owner of radical bookshop News From Nowhere, told the ECHO: “Bold Street is holding up quite well due to the independent nature of the shops. We offer something completely different to the chain stores you can find in any city.

“Bold Street is very special nationally. People come from all over – Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield – to go to News From Nowhere.”

Referring to the street’s many traders, Ms Vere said: “They all put their life and soul into their businesses. We work beyond the call of duty in terms of hours and effort and customer service and our products.

Alexei Sayle visited News from Nowhere on Bold Street this week. He is pictured with co-owner Mandy Vere.

“There are very few city centres that have a Bold Street – we are very lucky. We have customers from other towns saying they wish they had a street like this in their city. Bold street is special and to be treasured.”

Dick Mawdsley owns two Utility stores on the street – a card and gift shop and a furniture and hardware store. He said: “There have been some strong figures from both stores in Bold Street.”

Mr Mawdsley had once feared that the arrival in the street of so many new restaurants and coffee shops would damage retail outlets like Utility, but that worry proved unfounded. On the contrary, Mr Mawdsley says the new restaurants have brought in more trade for the street’s retailers.

He said: “Because there are so many strong independent food operators it’s attracting a new audience.

“Every couple of weeks there is a new boy on the block and that makes it interesting and that makes people come back.”

He said the street has faced tough competition from Metquarter and Liverpool One, which have been trying to lure retailers to their developments, adding: “We were concerned retail would disappear completely but that’s not the case. It’s been pretty good.”

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Liverpool BID boss Bill Addy was in London this week to highlight the success of Bold Street to an influential audience that included Prince Charles and 500 business leaders.

Organised by Business in the Community, the event was designed to showcase five specially selected “healthy” high streets from around the country.

Mr Addy told the ECHO “It went very well. Prince Charles was very friendly and interested to hear about how Bold Street was thriving and how independent traders are surviving in the current retail landscape.”

Most shop units in Bold Street are now let, with the principal exceptions being at either end of the street.

The former Lyceum has been empty for many years as has the former Waterstones bookshop.

Mr Addy said these are listed buildings. They are also very large. It makes them harder to let.

However he points to the nearby Rex, which occupies the former British Gas showroom as evidence that there is still hope these larger premises may yet be granted a new lease of life.